Forget the livestream viewers running out of patience—even the Island Nation's police and law enforcement were completely exhausted.
With no information about Kaitō Kid, their search was aimless. Like headless flies, they just stopped whoever crossed their path.
People in the stream dropped sarcastic comments as they left.
[What is this, a military parade on sand?]
[Baka! Nakajima Misaki isn't just crazy—he's a damn fool. This kind of manhunt is a waste of time and resources!]
[If they actually catch Kaitō Kid like this, I'll go take a dump in one of the Island Nation's volcanoes!]
[You going for a full-on lava roast to seal the deal?]
[I'm out. Let's just wait for tomorrow's news. Big talk, weak delivery—boring as hell!]
Everyone expected Nakajima Misaki's full-scale manhunt to be some kind of grand operation, a massive crackdown that would leave Kaitō Kid with nowhere to hide.
Instead, it became a complete joke.
By the time the sun rose, the guards and agents had found nothing. Everyone looked like walking zombies, dark circles under their eyes.
And yet, the Island Nation's news agency was still oblivious to the embarrassment. They kept their stream rolling and even had the nerve to interview Nakajima Misaki.
"Director Nakajima, you weren't able to find Kaitō Kid overnight. What's your next move?"
Nakajima shot a cold glare at the reporter, his voice sharp and venomous.
"Do I need to report my next move to you?"
"Turn off the livestream. The next stage of the operation is classified!"
The audience watching burst into laughter.
[Hahaha! He's lost it. You can tell he's broken—he's totally panicked!]
[You shout like that again, I swear my heart's gonna skip. Calm down, buddy!]
[The Island Nation's press is hilarious. Wearing straw hats and poking pigs' noses—you can't even tell who's who, yet you're brave enough to interview Nakajima Misaki!]
[I bet in two hours, the Imperial Palace incident will be headline news all over the world!]
Nakajima Misaki didn't care how badly he was being mocked—he was still hell-bent on catching Kaitō Kid before sunrise. Not just for the country's pride and reputation.
The Island Nation's emperor was scheduled to return from an overseas visit at noon.
And the Twelve Bronze Zodiac Heads from the Imperial Palace had been stolen.
They hadn't even caught a suspect.
Nakajima Misaki couldn't begin to imagine how furious the emperor would be.
Including the one from the Imperial Palace, all three of the Bronze Zodiac Heads the Island Nation had spent years collecting had been stolen—by Kaitō Kid.
"Baka! The emperor's going to kill me…"
He knew exactly what kind of fate was waiting for him.
The Island Nation had never expected to go from passive bystander to full-blown victim.
After all, Kaitō Kid's heists had originally only happened in Britain.
Minute by minute, the night slipped away. Nakajima Misaki was on edge, pacing like a caged beast.
He hadn't slept in twenty-four hours, but there wasn't a trace of fatigue in his eyes—just overwhelming tension.
He'd already ordered the Island Nation's media to stop reporting on the Imperial Palace operation.
But just because their own outlets weren't talking didn't mean the rest of the world would stay quiet.
Yesterday's full livestream was still up. Tons of viewers had saved replay clips from the stream.
Now, the entire internet was swamped with discussions about Kaitō Kid and the utter failure of the palace manhunt.
[Nakajima Misaki's gone brain-dead from the stress. If you missed last night's stream, you seriously missed out!]
[Kaitō Kid's final magic performance? Incredible. He vanished without a trace!]
[Hahaha! Nakajima Misaki had the entire Island Nation's police and agents working all night, and they're still stopping random people on the street!]
[I knew letting the press stream from the palace would backfire—now they're butt-naked, spinning in circles for the world to laugh at!]
[And the Itō clan's legendary ninjas? Please. Couldn't even brush Kaitō Kid's coattails!]
News outlets around the world were scrambling to find footage online, rushing to cover the story.
It was like pouring salt into Nakajima Misaki's wounds, driving him even further over the edge.
"Baka! Damn you, Kaitō Kid—where the hell are you?!"
The Island Nation's Imperial Palace wasn't like any other place. Nothing like this had ever happened anywhere else in the world.
Even the unluckiest of them—Britain—had only lost treasures from some noble's castle at worst.
When the emperor of the Island Nation saw the news, he immediately tried to call Nakajima Misaki.
But Nakajima's phone had already been smashed and was out of service.
"Baka yarō! That idiot Nakajima Misaki!"
"He let Kaitō Kid steal the Twelve Bronze Zodiac Head from my Imperial Palace?! Useless trash! A disgrace!"
Even from overseas, the emperor was fuming with rage.
Meanwhile, global media reports exploded with coverage of Kaitō Kid—a legendary phantom thief who, just last night, stole the final missing piece of the Twelve Bronze Zodiac Heads from the Imperial Palace.
This marked the full reappearance of all twelve Zodiac Heads, which had been scattered across private collections for years.
[These Zodiac Heads have been privately held for decades. Now they're all back in the spotlight!]
[Shit… does Kaitō Kid actually have the most powerful intel network on Earth? How did he even track them all down?!]
[I just hope that one day, all twelve heads can return to the Dragon Nation for good.]
[As long as they're no longer missing, there's always hope!]
[Wait, didn't Kaitō Kid always return what he stole to the Dragon Nation?]
Everything stolen by Kaitō Kid always ended up appearing in the Dragon Nation.
Though the country never publicly confirmed that Kaitō Kid was the donor.
Still, nobody in their right mind believed otherwise.
Everyone knew—even if he didn't donate them himself, someone likely bought them back from him.
[The Zodiac Heads are priceless and culturally irreplaceable. If Kaitō Kid really returned them to the Dragon Nation, I'd put his picture on my altar and bow three times a day!]
[If that's the case, he deserves to be honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!]
[WTF? You guys are dreaming. Kaitō Kid is a super thief—this is the final head. There's no way he's giving it away for free! He'll ask for a sky-high price!]
[Oh my god… who would say no to money? Especially a legendary thief!]
And yet, two hours later, the Dragon Nation issued an official public statement:
All twelve Bronze Zodiac Heads had been successfully repatriated, and were now being held at the Kyoto Museum.
As always, the artifacts were said to have been "donated by anonymous benefactors."
While the rest of the world was still busy reporting on Kaitō Kid and the Imperial Palace scandal, this announcement pushed the whole affair to its peak.
[Holy crap! I'm overwhelmed—I don't even know what to say other than HOLY CRAP!]
[The Twelve Bronze Zodiac Heads are finally all home!]
[Thank you to the anonymous donors for their support of our cultural preservation efforts, hahaha!]
[Nakajima Misaki is still out there grabbing random people on the streets. When he sees this news, will he just cough up blood on the spot?]
[Aren't we being a little too bold dropping this announcement now? Won't it completely crush the Island Nation?]